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W. s. BONNARD8E W. H. GRUPE.

FEEDER FOR MILLS, PURIFIERS, 850- Patented May 20, 1884.

ATTORNEYS.

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WVILLIAM S. BONNABD AND WILLIAM H. GRUPE, OF TERRE HAUTE, IND.

FEEDER FOR NHLLS, PURIFHERS, 8w.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 298,938, dated May 20, 1884.

Application filed February 8, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WVILLIAM S. BONNARD and VVILLIAM H. GRUPE, both of Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeders for Mills, Purifiers, 850., of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a hopper or other like feeding device provided with a feedingroller applicable to mills, purifiers, and other apparatus or machines which require a steady or even feed spread over the entire length of the feed-roller, with provision for varying the quantity of material fed without interfering with the uniform distribution of the same over the entire length of the feed-roller. It is applicable, among other purposes, to the feeding of substances of different specific graviti'es, from wheat to the lightest stock made in a mill; and to this end it consists in the peculiar construction and arrangementof parts, as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 represents a front view of an adj ustable automatic feeding-hopper embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same on the line as a: in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a side view of one of the valve-springs detached.

A is the front of the hopper, and B a stationary piece or strip secured to the said front at a suitable distance from the top of the hopper by bolts and thumb-nuts b.

O is the feed-roller, arranged along the bottom of the hopper in front. This roller,which may either be smooth or corrugated, may be driven by any suitable means.

D is a swinging valve on the front of the hopper, pivoted or hinged above, as at 0, over the opening d in the front of the hopper, and arranged to extend below the center of the feed-roller.

E E are two strips secured to the hopperfront A at the sides of the valve D, which serve to prevent lateral scattering of the material being fed, and between which the valve D is free to swing. Y

Arranged down and outside of the valve D, parallel with the strips E E, are springs FF, secured above, and having their free ends resting on a flange on the lower edge of the valve D, whereby the said valve will be closed against the feed-roller. These springs have their tension regulated by thumb-screws 6, applied to them, for the purpose of regulating the quantity of material fed over the feedroller and to suit different substances being operated on without interfering with the uniform spread or distribution of the substance over the roller, with which the lower end of the valve D is parallel, and extends the whole length of the roller between the strips E E, or thereabont.

The springs F F are thickened on their up per ends, and are constructed With grooves f on the inner faces of such thickened portions, which grooves fit over or receive within them a longitudinal rib, g, on the upper portion of the front of the strip B, for the purpose of holding the springs to their places and to ad mit of their easy removal, when required.

Such rib or flange may be extended down the ends of the strip and serve to stiffen the strip B; and the valve D, as well as the strip B, is made light, of cast-iron, and similarly stiffened on the marginal portions of its front by a flange, g; or said flanges g 9 maybe restricted to the upper longitudinal portion of the strip B and to the lower longitudinal margin of the front of the valve, parallel with the feed-roller, the flange 9 serving to stiffen the lower portion of the valve and allow of it being planed true to fit the roller.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with a hopper having a discharge-opening, d, and the feed-roller C, of the valr e D, hinged to the hopper and provided with the flange g, and the springs F, secured at their upper ends to the hopper, and

i d, and the springs F, thickened at their uphaving their free ends resting on the flange of the valve, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The hopper having a discharge-opening,

fit within the grooves of the springs,the thumb. :0 screws 6, and the valve D, substantially as I specified.

WI-LLIAM s. BONNARD.

per ends and provided With grooves f, in com- VILLIAM GRUPE' 'bination with the strip B, arranged on the WVitnesses:

front of the hopper, over its opening, and pro JACOB G. COLLINS, vided with a rib or flange, g, constructed to EUGENE A. BONNARD. 

